Glossary 153load—To move information from a storage device (such as ahard disk) into memory for processing.local area network—SeeLAN.logical drive—A section of a disk that is recognized by theoperating system as a separate disk drive. A system’s logicaldrives may differ from its physical drives. For example, asingle hard disk drive may be partitioned into two or morelogical drives.M memory—Typically refers to the computer’s main memory,where programs are run and data is temporarily stored andprocessed. Memory can be volatile and hold datatemporarily, such as RAM, or it can be nonvolatile and holddata permanently, such as ROM. A computer’s mainmemory is RAM. See alsoRAM,ROM.microprocessor—SeeCentral Processing Unit (CPU).MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)—A standardfor connecting musical instruments, synthesizers, andcomputers. The MIDI standard provides a way of translatingmusic into a form computers can use, and vice versa.motherboard—The computer’s main circuit board thatcontains the processor, memory, and other primarycomponents.MS-DOS prompt—Seesystem prompt.multi-function drive—A DVD drive that can read and write toCD and DVD media.multimedia—A combination of two or more media, such assound, animation, and video in a computer program orpresentation.Musical Instrument Digital Interface—SeeMIDI.N network—A collection of computers and associated devicesthat are connected by communications facilities. A networkallows you to share data and peripheral devices, such asprinters, with other users and to exchange electronic mail.
